System and method for assigning and verifying CPE service calls in a cable network

ABSTRACT

A system and method for determining a fault in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network segment. A two-way client uses a two-way query interface to acquire information indicative of the two-way operational status of subscriber CPE units associated with a subscriber number from a two-way validation server. Using the operational status of the subscriber CPE units, a fault may be associated with either the CPE units or with network facilities other than the two or more CPE units.

RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/216,329, filed Aug. 31, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,596,800 whichapplication is incorporated by reference for all purposes and from whichpriority is claimed.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of this invention are generally related to cable networkdiagnostics and more particularly related to enabling a cable servicetechnician (CST) to confirm the two-way operation of customer premisesequipment (CPE).

Cable networks have evolved from downstream broadcast systems providedover coax cable to hybrid fiber cable (HFC) networks capable of bothdownstream and upstream (two-way) communications using both analog anddigital signals. With respect to video services, modern set top boxessend upstream signals to the headend to request video on demand (VOD)services, pay per view (PPV) services, and switched video broadcast(SVB) services and to issue control commands (play, stop, fast forward,rewind, and pause) that affect the video stream. Two-way STBs areaddressable, can be associated with a subscriber, and can be associatedwith a physical location with an HFC cable network.

Cable modems and media terminal adapters (MTAs) are also two-way devicesthat depend on both downstream and upstream continuity for exchangingdata packets with cable system network components and with other usersof the cable system.

The operation of a CPE unit in the two-way mode depends on a number offactors. The CPE unit must be correctly associated with its subscriber.Typically, the CPE identifying information is the MAC address of thedevice. For example, if the MAC address of the CPE unit is incorrect ornot associated with the subscriber, the CPE unit will not be recognizedby the cable network and will fail to operate in a two-way mode. A CPEunit may also fail to operate in a two-way mode if the CPE unit is notproperly provisioned. Further, a CPE unit may receive downstreamcommunications but be unable to provide upstream communications becauseof problems external to the CPE unit. By way of illustration, upstreamcommunications may be disrupted because of problems with the insidecabling (e.g., the inside cable has been split multiple times), becausethe CPE reverse data carrier (RDC) signal level is too low, or becauseof problems with network devices that support upstream communications.

Problems with two-way communications are a major source of customerservice requests and maintenance expenses. While many such requests arevalid problems with subscriber CPE, a significant number of suchrequests do not require technical support, are caused by failures in theoutside plant and not the subscriber CPE, or are made by subscribers whoare not authorized for the support requested. Additionally, thecomplexities of two-way communications sometimes lead to a valid servicerequest being assigned to an over-qualified or under-qualified CST.

While maintenance and support of subscriber CPE is a cost of cablesystem operation, reducing the demand for support services and usingsupport service resources effectively improves both the customerexperience and the profitability of system operation.

What would be useful are tools that reduce or eliminate unnecessaryservice calls to a subscriber location by providing information to cableservice technicians to qualify a service request relating to subscriberCPE before a service call is initiated and to verify the operation ofthe subscriber CPE in the two-way mode after a service call iscompleted.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a two-way analysissystem comprises a two-way client and a two-way validation server. Thetwo-way client uses a two-way query interface (herein, “TWQI”) toacquire information indicative of the two-way operational status of asubscriber CPE from the two-way validation server and to display theinformation graphically. In this embodiment, the two-way clientcomprises the TWQI, a processor, a display, a user input, and a LANinterface. According to an embodiment of the present invention, theprocessor, the display, the user input, and the LAN interface functionsof the two-way client are provided by a general purpose computingdevice, the TWQI functionality is provided by a Web browser, and thetwo-way validation server operates a Web server.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the LAN comprises awireless network interface and the general purpose computer comprises aportable computing device.

The two-way client interacts with the two-way validation server toacquire information relating to a list of work orders associated with acable service technician (CST), a work order associated with asubscriber, the two-way CPE units associated with that subscriber, andthe two-way operational status of the associated CPE units.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the CST uses thetwo-way client to remotely evaluate a service request for two-way CPEunits prior to initiating a service call. In this embodiment, a servicerequest is evaluated against the subscriber account to verify that thesubscriber is entitled to two-way service. If the service request isvalidated, the CST uses the two-way client to direct the two-wayvalidation server to “PING” the subscriber's CPE units to confirm thatthe service request accurately describes the two-way status of thesubscriber CPE units.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a determination is madewhether the CST assigned the service call is qualified to provide theservice necessary to restore subscriber CPE to two-way operation and/orif the CST is too busy to respond to the service call. If eithercondition occurs, the service call is reassigned to an available CST whois qualified to perform the work necessary to restore the subscriber'sCPE.

In another embodiment of the present invention, following completion ofa service or installation call, the two-way client is used to confirmthat the subscriber's CPE units are operating in a two-way mode.

The two-way analysis system further provides the CST the option ofrecording a time-stamped report of the confirmed two-way operation ofthe subscriber CPE units in the subscriber record in a billing system.

It is therefore an aspect of the present invention to provide a CST asystem and method to validate a service request from a subscriber beforevisiting the subscriber's premises.

It is another aspect of the present invention to determine that theservice request accurately describes the two-way performance of thesubscriber's CPE units by determining the two-way connectivity of thoseunits before visiting the subscriber's premises.

In yet another aspect of the present invention to determine whether theCST assigned to the service request is qualified to provide the servicesdescribed in the service request before visiting the subscriber' spremises, and if the CST is not qualified to perform the requiredservices, to assign the service request to a qualified CST.

It is still another aspect of the present invention to determine whetherthe CST assigned to the service request has sufficient time to completethe service request within the time allowed, and, if the CST cannotperform the required services within the time allowed, then assigningthe service request to a qualified CST

It is another aspect of the present invention to document theperformance of the two-way operation of a subscriber's CPE units and toretain that documentation in a subscriber record in a billing system forfuture access.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to notify thesupervisor of a CST who does not confirm two-way operation of asubscriber's CPE before leaving a subscriber's premises.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparentfrom a review of the description that follows.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a system for validatingtwo-way continuity of CPE unit in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cablenetwork comprises a two-way query library, a job query library, atwo-way query processor, a result analyzer, and a display server. By wayof illustration and not as a limitation, the CPE unit may be, withoutlimitation, selected from the group consisting of a set top box, a cablemodem, a media terminal adapter, and a digital video recorder. In thisembodiment, the two-way query library comprises validation instructionsfor validating the two-way operation of the CPE unit.

By way of illustration and not as a limitation, according to anembodiment of the present invention, the validation instructionscomprise instructions for issuing a PING command to the CPE unit. Aresponse indicative of two-way continuity comprises a reply to the PINGcommand. A response indicative of a failure of two-way continuitycomprises a timeout of the PING command.

The job query library comprises instructions for acquiring work ordersassigned to a cable service technician (CST). A work order comprises asubscriber account identifier associated with CPE units assigned to thesubscriber. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a workorder comprises a link associating the work order with work order data.Work order data comprises a work order identifier, the subscriberaccount identifier, a subscriber address, a VOD pool identifier, a cablenode identifier, and a comment.

The two-way query processor receives a query from a CST, executes theinstructions from the job query library, and receives a work orderassigned to the CST. According to an embodiment of the presentinvention, the query from the CST comprises a CST identifier associatedwith the CST, and the work order is associated with the CST via the CSTidentifier.

In response to selection by the CST of the subscriber identifierassociated with the work order, the two-way query processor executes thevalidation instructions from the two-way query library to determine thetwo-way continuity of a CPE unit associated with the subscriber accountidentifier.

The results analyzer receives a response from the CPE unit to thevalidation instructions. If the response from the CPE unit is indicativeof two-way continuity, then the results analyzer assigns the CPE unit atwo-way status value indicative of two-way continuity. If the responsefrom the CPE unit is indicative of a failure of two-way continuity, thenthe results analyzer assigns the CPE unit the two-way status valueindicative of a failure of two-way continuity. The results analyzerfurther provides a MAC address of the CPE unit and the assigned two-waystatus value to a display server.

The display server creates a two-way response record comprising the MACaddress of the CPE unit and the two-way status and sends the two-wayresponse record to a CST client for display.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, if the response fromthe CPE unit is indicative of two-way continuity, then the resultsanalyzer assigns a first graphical attribute to the MAC address of theCPE unit. If the response from the CPE unit is indicative of a failureof two-way continuity, then the results analyzer assigns a secondgraphical attribute to the MAC address of the CPE unit. The displayserver displays the two-way record in accordance with an assignedgraphical attribute.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the system furthercomprises a signature query library. The signature query librarycomprises instructions for creating a signature record comprising theresponse of the CPE unit, a CST identifier associated with the CST, anda timestamp comprising a time when the response was created, associatingthe signature record with the subscriber account identifier, and storingthe signature record in a subscriber datastore. The two-way queryprocessor receives a signature record request from the CST, and executesthe instructions from the signature query library.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, the work orderthat is received by the two-way query processor is associated with asubscriber location. The two-way query processor determines whether theCST has left the subscriber location associated with the work order. Ifthe CST has left the subscriber location, the two-way query processordetermines whether the CST has sent the signature record request to thetwo-way query processor. If the CST has not sent the signature recordrequest to the two-way query processor, then a notice is issued to asupervisor of the CST. In yet another embodiment of the presentinvention, the display server creates a work order record from the workorder data, and sends the work order record to the CST client fordisplay.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the MAC address of the CPEunit comprises a link associating the MAC address with CPE diagnosticdata comprising a CPE unit MAC address, a transmit signal level, areceive signal level, and uptime data. The display server creates adiagnostic record from the CPE diagnostic data, and sends the diagnosticrecord to the CST client for display. The diagnostic record may beaccessed via the MAC link.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, the job querylibrary comprises qualification instructions for acquiring a profile ofthe CST comprising qualification data indicative of a skill level of theCST, and for acquiring a skill level requirement for the work order. Theresults analyzer receives the qualification data of the CST and theskill level requirement for the work order. The results analyzer makes adetermination from qualification data of the CST whether the skill levelof the CST equals or exceeds the skill level requirement of the workorder. If the skill level of the CST is less than the skill levelrequirement of the work order, then the results analyzer reassigns thework order.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for validatingtwo-way continuity of a CPE unit in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cablenetwork. A query comprising a CST identifier is received from a CST. Aclient work order is displayed on a CST client. The work order comprisesa subscriber identifier. In response to selection by the CST of thesubscriber identifier, validation instructions are executed to determinethe two-way continuity of a CPE unit associated with the subscriberaccount identifier. A response is received from the CPE unit to thevalidation instructions. If the response from the CPE unit is indicativeof two-way continuity, then the CPE unit is assigned a two-way statusvalue indicative of two-way continuity. If the response from the CPEunit is indicative of a failure of two-way continuity, then the CPE unitis assigned the two-way status value indicative of a failure of two-waycontinuity. A two-way response record comprising the MAC address of theCPE unit and the two-way status is created and displayed on the CSTclient.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, if the response fromthe CPE unit is indicative of two-way continuity, a first graphicalattribute is assigned to the MAC address of the CPE unit. If theresponse from the CPE unit is indicative of a failure of two-waycontinuity, then a second graphical attribute is assigned to the MACaddress of the CPE unit. The two-way response record is displayed on theCST client in accordance with an assigned graphical attribute.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, a signature recordis created. The signature record comprises the response of the CPE unit,a CST identifier associated with the CST, and a timestamp comprising atime when the response was created. The signature record is associatedwith the subscriber account identifier and stored in a subscriberdatastore.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a work order is associatedwith a subscriber location. A determination is made whether the CST hasleft the subscriber location associated with the work order. If the CSThas left the subscriber location, a determination is made whether theCST has sent the signature record request to the two-way queryprocessor. If the CST has not sent the signature record request to thetwo-way query processor, then a notice is issued to a supervisor of theCST.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the query from the CSTcomprises a CST identifier associated with the CST. A list of workorders associated with the CST identifier is created and displayed onthe CST client.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the work orderrecord is created from work order data and displayed on the CST client.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, a diagnosticrecord is created from CPE diagnostic data and sent to the CST clientfor display.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a profile of the CST isacquired. The profile comprises qualification data indicative of a skilllevel of the CST. A skill level requirement for the work order isacquired. A determination is made from the qualification data of the CSTwhether the skill level of the CST equals or exceeds the skill levelrequirement of the work order. If the skill level of the CST is lessthan the skill level requirement of the work order, the work order isreassigned.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the components of a remote two-way analysis system ina cable network environment according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a work order list according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a work order record according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a response to a two-way request according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a process by which a cable servicetechnician processes a service call according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagnostics data block according to an embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following terms are used in the description that follows. Thedefinitions are provided for clarity of understanding:

CM Cable modem. CPE Customer premises equipment. HFC Hybrid Fiber Coax.A network design that employs both fiber optic and coaxial cables todeliver cable video and data services. IP address IP address as usedherein means a uniquely addressable identifier associated with networkor home equipment capable of responding to a ping. PING The verb “toPING” means the act of using the ping utility or command. The pingutility sends a packet to a device with an IP address and waits for aresponse. The response is indicative that the ping packet was receivedby the device and the device is present on the network. The noun “ping”means the request for a response from a network device. Poll The verb“poll” means the act of using a utility or command by one network deviceto request data from another network device. RDC level Reverse datacarrier level. A measure of the signal strength of the upstream signalgenerated by an STB or other CPE device. STB Set top box. As usedherein, an STB comprises a standalone device and a device meeting theOpenCable Applications Platform Specification (OCAP), sometimes referredto as a DSG client. Two-way Describes the capability of a CPE unit toboth receive signals from a cable headend or data center in thedownstream direction and send signals to the headend or data center inthe upstream direction. VOD Video on demand. VOD is the generic term fora collection of services such as HBO on demand (HOD), movies on demand(MODULATOR) SVOD (subscription video on demand), FOD (free on demand),and other similar services.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a two-way analysissystem comprises a two-way client and a two-way validation server. Thetwo-way client uses a two-way query interface (herein, “TWQI”) toacquire information indicative of the two-way operational status of asubscriber CPE unit from the two-way validation server and to displaythe information graphically. In this embodiment, the two-way clientcomprises the TWQI, a processor, a display, a user input, and a LANinterface. According to an embodiment of the present invention, theprocessor, the display, the user input, and the LAN interface functionsof the two-way client are provided by a general purpose computingdevice, the TWQI functionality is provided by a Web browser, and thetwo-way validation server operates a Web server.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the LAN comprises awireless network interface and the general purpose computer comprises aportable computing device.

The two-way client interacts with the two-way validation server toacquire information relating to a list of work orders associated with acable service technician (CST), a work order associated with asubscriber, the two-way CPE units associated with that subscriber, andthe two-way operational status of the associated CPE units.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the CST uses thetwo-way client to remotely evaluate a service request for two-way CPEunits prior to initiating a service call. In this embodiment, a servicerequest is evaluated against the subscriber account to verify that thesubscriber is entitled to two-way service. If the service request isvalidated, the CST uses the two-way client to direct the two-wayvalidation server to “PING” the subscriber's CPE units to confirm thatthe service request accurately describes the two-way status of thesubscriber CPE units. As will be appreciated by those skilled in theart, other methods can be utilized to determine whether a CPE unit iscapable of two-way communication without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a determination is madewhether the CST assigned the service call is qualified to provide theservice necessary to restore subscriber CPE to two-way operation and/orif the CST is too busy to respond to the service call. If eithercondition occurs, the service call is reassigned to an available CST whois qualified to perform the work necessary to restore the subscriber'sCPE.

In another embodiment of the present invention, following completion ofa service or installation call, the two-way client is used to confirmthat the subscriber's CPE units are operating in a two-way mode.

The two-way analysis system further provides the CST the option ofrecording a time-stamped report of the confirmed two-way operation ofthe subscriber CPE units in the subscriber record in a billing system.

FIG. 1 illustrates the components of a remote two-way analysis system ina cable network environment according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. Referring to FIG. 1, a two-way analysis system comprises atwo-way client 100 and a two-way validation server 140. Two-way client100 comprises a two-way query interface (TWQI) 104, a display 108, auser input 110, a processor 116 and a LAN interface 120.

In an exemplary embodiment, LAN interface 120 comprises a wirelessinterface, LAN 130 comprises a wireless interface (not illustrated), andthe two-way client 100 is a portable computing device. By wayillustration, the two-way analyzer is an Intermec 6400 Keypad HandheldComputer. However, the present invention is not so limited. As will beappreciated by those skilled in the art, other portable wirelesscomputing devices may be used without departing from the scope of thepresent invention. By way of illustration and not as a limitation,two-way client 100 may be, without limitation, a laptop computer or apersonal digital assistant equipped with a wireless interface.

Display 108 may be, without limitation, an LCD, a plasma, or otherdisplay device suitable for portable computing devices. Input 110 maybe, without limitation, a mouse, a touch pad, a keypad, a keyboard, atouch-sensitive screen, a voice recognition system or other input devicesuitable for a portable computing device.

Two-way query interface 104 displays an interactive graphical displaygenerated by two-way validation server 140. Two-way query interface 104accepts a CST identifier that associates the two-way client 100 with aCST (not illustrated). The CST identifier is passed via processor 116,LAN interface 120, LAN 130, to two-way validation server 140.

Two-way validation server 140 may be, without limitation, located in acable network headend, in a cable network data center, in a networkoperations center or other suitable location determined by the cablenetwork operator. In an embodiment of the present invention, two-wayvalidation server 140 comprises a two-way query processor 142, signaturequery library 144, job query library 146, two-way query library 148 andCPE state data query library 150. These libraries comprise instructionsets that are executed when a call is issued by two-way query processor142.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, two-way querylibrary 148 comprises instruction sets to acquire subscriber accountinformation and to PING subscriber CPE units to determine a currenttwo-way operational status.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, job query library146 comprises instruction sets to acquire service requests assigned to aCST, to acquire details of a specific service request, to access a CST'sprofile information, and to determine whether a CST is qualified toanswer an assigned service request.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, signature querylibrary 144 comprises instruction sets to acquire the results of atwo-way operational status test, to store the results of that test inappropriate network databases, and to apply a timestamp to the testresults and store the timestamped test results in a subscriberdatastore.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, CPE state dataquery library 150 comprises instruction sets to acquire the state dataof a CPE unit. State data are acquired by two-way query processor 142from the CPE unit.

Two-way query processor 142 accesses a technician datastore 170, asubscriber datastore 175, and a work order datastore 180.

Upon receipt of the CST identifier from two-way client 100, two-wayquery processor 142 retrieves a work order list (see FIG. 2, 200)associated with the identifier from the work order datastore 180 andreturns it to display 108 of two-way client 100 via LAN interface 135,LAN 130, LAN interface 120, and processor 116. A work order comprises asubscriber identifier. In response to selection of the subscriberidentifier, the two-way query processor 142 executes validationinstructions to determine the two-way continuity of a CPE unitassociated with the subscriber account identifier.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the CST identifier isassociated with a profile stored in technician datastore 170 thatcomprises information relating to the CST to which the CST identifier isassigned. The profile comprises a skill level indicator indicative ofthe maintenance and/or installation work that the CST is qualified toperform. In an alternate embodiment, the CST identifier also reflectsthe skill level indicator.

In an embodiment of the present invention, two-way validation server 140further comprises a result analyzer 152 and a display server 154. Resultanalyzer 152 reviews the data acquired from two-way query processor 142and assigns graphical attributes to a subscriber CPE unit. According toan embodiment of the present invention, a CPE unit that exhibits two-wayoperability is assigned a first graphical attribute. A CPE unit thatfails to exhibit two-way operability is assigned a second,distinguishing graphical attribute. By way of illustration and not as alimitation, a graphical attribute may be, without limitation, a displaycolor, a display intensity, an object shape, and a display modulation,such as blinking or motion. A notation of the two-way performance of theCPE unit and an assigned graphical attribute are passed to displayserver 154, which returns an interactive graphical display to two-wayquery interface 104. Two-way query interface 104 then causes processor116 to output the interactive graphical display to display 108.

FIG. 2 illustrates a work order list according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. Referring to FIG. 2, work order list 200 returned bytwo-way query processor 142 comprises a work order number 205, asubscriber account number 210, and a status code 215. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the status codes “CP,” “CN,” “ND,” and incomplete are entered.According to an embodiment of the present invention, these codes havethe following meaning:

CP—Completed jobs.

CN—Cancelled jobs.

ND—Jobs entered as not done.

Incomplete—Jobs currently assigned, but not yet completed (open jobs),and not assigned any other status code.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the work ordernumber 205 is linked to a work record (see FIG. 3, 300) in work orderdatastore 180 and subscriber account number 210 is linked to asubscriber account record (not illustrated) in subscriber datastore 175.The two-way client 100 accepts user input from a CST via user input 110,allowing a CST to select a link to a particular work order number 205 ora particular subscriber account 210.

FIG. 3 illustrates a work order record according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. Referring to FIG. 3, work order record 300 comprisesa work order number 305, and a subscriber account number 310, asubscriber address 315, a pool number 320, a node identifier 325indicative of the node on the cable network that is associated with thesubscriber and through which subscriber communications are provided, anda comment block 330. As illustrated in FIG. 3, comment block comprisesinformation relating to the two-way subscriber CPE units located at thecustomer premises.

Referring again to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in an embodiment of the presentinvention, two-way query processor 142 accesses the technician profilein technician datastore 170 and the work order 300 in work orderdatastore 180 to determine whether the CST is under-qualified, oralternatively, over-qualified to perform the work assigned to the CSTwith respect to a particular order. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, if the CST is under-qualified or over-qualified, the workorder record 305 is flagged accordingly.

Referring again to FIG. 2, in yet another embodiment of the presentinvention, work order list 200 is presented in a descending order ofpriority. The priority may be, without limitation, established by thecable network operator based on the needs of the customer, the number ofprior visits, route planning, and other factors.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention, when the account number (210 and 310respectfully) is selected using user input 110, two-way client 100initiates a two-way status check through TWQI 104. The request isreceived by processor 116 and sent to two-way validation server 140where it is processed by two-way query processor 142. Two-way queryprocessor 142 acquires data about the subscriber CPE units 192 and 194from subscriber datastore 175, and fashions a PING message that is sentto subscriber CPE units 192 and 194 via the appropriate channel of cablenetwork 185. By way of illustration and not as a limitation, if CPE unit192 is a DAVIC-compliant STB, the PING message is sent via anout-of-band channel. If CPE unit 192 is a DOCSIS compliant STB or cablemodem, the PING message is sent via a data channel. Two-way queryprocessor 142 waits for a set period of time for a response fromsubscriber CPE unit 190.

FIG. 4 illustrates a response to a two-way request according to anembodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, a two-wayrequest response 400 comprises a device MAC field 405, an enabled field410, and a two-way field 415. Enabled field 410 and two-way field 415comprise a value that is either “yes” or “no,” with the exception that aCPE unit may not have an enabled value of “no” and a two-way value of“yes.” A CPE unit is “enabled” if the CPE unit is associated with thesubscriber and is currently recognized by the cable system as “active.”In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the CPE unit isassociated with the subscriber using the CPE unit MAC address.

In an embodiment of the present invention, if a response is receivedfrom subscriber CPE unit (FIG. 1, 192) within the response period, thevalue of two-way field 415 associated with CPE unit (FIG. 1, 192) is setto “yes.” If a response is not received from subscriber CPE unit (FIG.1, 192) within the response period, the value of two-way field 415associated with CPE unit (FIG. 1, 192) is set to “no.” Similarly, thevalue of two-way field 415 for subscriber CPE unit (FIG. 1, 194) isdetermined and set.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the two-way request response400 is assigned a graphical attribute depending on the value of two-wayfield 415. The graphical attribute determines the way in which two-wayrequest response 400 is displayed by display 108. By way of illustrationand not as a limitation, a graphical attribute is text color and thecolor in which two-way request response 400 is displayed is determinedby the value of two-way field 415. In other embodiments of the presentinvention, the graphical attribute may be, without limitation,blinking/non-blinking, a background color, or a color highlight appliedto the value fields of two-way request response 400.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, before aCST departs for a subscriber location (FIG. 1, 190) associated with awork order, the CST selects the subscriber account number from the workorder list (FIG. 2, 200) or from work order record (FIG. 3, 300) andinitiates a two-way request for the enabled subscriber CPE units (FIG.1, 192 and 194). While only two subscriber CPE units are illustrated inFIG. 1, this is not meant as a limitation. Any number of two-way CPEunits may be located within a customer's premises without departing fromthe scope of the present invention.

The pre-departure two-way request serves a number of purposes. Bydetermining the two-way status of CPE units within a subscriber premisesbefore departing for that location, the CST may determine whether theservice request is valid. For example, a subscriber premises withmultiple two-way CPE units, all of which have a two-way field value of“no” would suggest that the cause of the lack of two-way continuity isnot the individual CPE units but a fault in some other network componentcommon to those units, such as the house wiring or the external cableplant. Under these circumstances, the CST would check other faultsystems of the cable network to determine whether other subscribersassociated with the node associated with the subscriber (see, FIG. 3,325) are also reporting problems. The CST may also determine what testequipment and/or replacement equipment is appropriate and/or necessaryto respond to the subscriber's service request.

As previously noted, in an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, two-way client (see FIG. 1, 100) is a portable computingdevice that may be used to confirm the two-way continuity of subscriberCPE units following initial installation or following service onpreviously installed units. Upon completion of a work order, a CST againaccesses the work order record 300 (see, FIG. 3) associated with thesubscriber CPE units that have been installed or services and initiatesa two-way request by selecting the customer account number 210 from thework order list 200 (see, FIG. 2) or the customer account number 310from the work order record 300 (see, FIG. 3). Two-way request response400 will be displayed on two-way client 100. When the value of two-wayfield 415 for each enabled two-way subscriber CPE unit associated withthe subscriber account number is “yes,” the CST will be provided theopportunity to “sign” the two-way response 400 by selecting a signaturerequest line 425.

A signature request is a process that is managed by two-way queryprocessor (FIG. 1, 142) using instruction sets held in signature querylibrary (FIG. 1, 144). Two-way query processor (FIG. 1, 142) capturestwo-way request response 400 and determines the identity of the CSTmaking the signature request by contacting the technician datastore(FIG. 1, 170). Two-way query processor (FIG. 1, 142) timestamps thetwo-way request response 400 and saves a copy of the response to thesubscriber datastore (FIG. 1, 175) in the subscriber record (notillustrated) associated with the subscriber.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a process by which a cable servicetechnician processes a service call according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. A cable service technician (CST) accesses a remotetwo-way analyzer (two-way client, FIG. 1, 100) 500. The CST enters hisor her CST identifier and accesses a list of CPE service requestsassigned to the CST 510. The CST selects a CPE service request 515. Thetwo-way client determines whether the CPE that is the subject of theservice request is capable of two-way operation 520.

If the CPE that is the subject of the service request is capable oftwo-way operation, the service request is closed 525 and the CSTrequests a timestamped verification of the determination that the CPE iscapable of two-way operation 555. The timestamped verification is thenstored in a datastore in association with the subscriber and the CST560. The timestamped verification is accessible from the datastoreelectronically.

If the CPE that is the subject of the service request is not capable oftwo-way operation, the CST travels to the subscriber location 530 andtakes remedial action to correct the operation of the CPE 530.

The two-way client determines whether the CPE that is the subject of theservice request is capable of two-way operation 545. If the CPE that isthe subject of the service request is not capable of two-way operation,the CST continues to take remedial action 540. If the CPE is capable oftwo-way action, the CST requests a timestamped verification of thedetermination that the CPE is cable of two-way operation 555. Thetimestamped verification is then stored in a datastore in associationwith the subscriber and the CST 560. The timestamped verification isaccessible from the datastore electronically.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the timestampedverification is stored in the company billing system.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagnostics data block according to an embodimentof the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6, device MAC address 405 comprises a link to adiagnostics data block 600. According to an embodiment of the presentinvention, a CST may display the diagnostics data block 600 by selectingMAC address 405 of the CPE unit for which diagnostic information isdesired.

Referring to FIG. 6, diagnostics data block 600 comprises diagnosticinformation relating to a CPE unit associated with the selected MACaddress. The label, Device MAC 605, is associated with a valueindicative of the MAC address selected by the CST. The label, transmitsignal level 610, is associated with a value indicative of the transmitsignal level of the CPE unit. The label, receive signal level 615, isassociated with a value indicative of the receive signal level of theCPE unit. The label, uptime 620, is further associated with label valuepairs Days, Hours, Minutes, and Seconds. These label value pairsdescribe the time since the CPE unit was last booted.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the valuesassociated with transmit signal level 610 and receive signal level 615are assigned a graphical attribute indicative of whether the CPE unitexhibits two-way operation.

A system and method for confirming two-way operation of CPE in a cablenetwork have been described. It will be understood by those skilled inthe art that the present invention may be embodied in other specificforms without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed andthat the examples and embodiments described herein are in all respectsillustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art of thepresent invention will recognize that other embodiments using theconcepts described herein are also possible. Further, any reference toclaim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,”“an,” or “the,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to thesingular. Moreover, a reference to a specific time, time interval, andinstantiation of scripts or code segments is in all respectsillustrative and not limiting.

1. A system for determining a fault in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cablenetwork segment comprising: a local area network, wherein the local areanetwork is distinct from the HFC cable network segment; a cable servicetechnician (“CST”) client remote from the customer's premises andconnected to the local area network; a two-way query processor remotefrom a customer's premises and connected to the local area network,wherein the two-way query processor comprises instructions for:receiving a query from the CST client, wherein the query comprises asubscriber account number; in response to the receipt of the subscriberaccount number, executing validation instructions to obtain a responseindicative of a two-way operational status of each of two or more CPEunits associated with the subscriber account number and located at acommon location; and a result analyzer remote from the customer'spremises and connected to the two-way query processor, wherein theresult analyzer comprises instructions for: receiving the responses fromeach of the two or more CPE units; determining that a fault is presentin network facilities other than the two or more CPE units when theresponses from the two or more CPE units are not indicative of two-wayoperational capability; determining that a fault is present in at leastone of the two or more CPE units when at least one of the responses fromthe two or more CPE units are indicative of two-way operationalcapability and one or more responses from the two or more CPE units arenot indicative of two-way operational capability; and a display server,wherein the display server comprises instructions for; receiving a faultdetermination from the result analyzer; and communicating the faultdetermination to the CST client via the local area network for display.2. The system of claim 1, wherein a CPE unit is selected from the groupconsisting of a set top box, a cable modem, a media terminal adapter,and a digital video recorder.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein thevalidation instructions comprise instructions for issuing a PING commandto a CPE unit.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the response indicativeof two-way operational capability of a CPE comprises a reply to the PINGcommand.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein the response not indicativeof two-way operational capability of a CPE comprises a receipt of atimeout of the PING command.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein theresult analyzer further comprises instructions for each of the two ormore CPE units for: obtaining a MAC address; assigning the CPE unit afirst two-way status value when the response from the CPE unit isindicative of two-way operational capability; assigning the CPE unit asecond two-way status value when the response from the CPE unit is notindicative of two-way operational capability; assigning a firstgraphical attribute to the MAC address of a CPE unit when the responsefrom the CPE unit is indicative of two-way operational capability; andassigning a second graphical attribute to the MAC address of the CPEunit when the response from the CPE unit is not indicative of two-wayoperational capability; and sending the MAC address, a two-way statusvalue selected from the group consisting of the first two-way statusvalue and the second two-way status value, and a graphical attributeselected from the group consisting of the first graphical attribute andthe second graphical attribute to a display server; and wherein thedisplay server further comprises instructions for each of the two ormore CPE units for: creating a two-way response record comprising theMAC address, the two-way value selected, and the graphical attribute;and sending the two-way response record to the CST client for display.7. The system of claim 1, wherein the display server further comprisesinstructions for: creating a diagnostic record from CPE diagnostic data;and sending the diagnostic record to the CST client for display.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the CPE diagnostic data is selected from aMAC address of a CPE unit, a transmit signal level, a receive signallevel, and uptime data.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the CPEdiagnostic data comprises a MAC address of a CPE unit, wherein the MACaddress of the CPE unit comprises a MAC link associating the MAC addressof the CPE unit to the diagnostic data, and wherein the CST clientcomprises instructions for accessing the diagnostic record via the MAClink.
 10. A method for determining a fault in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC)cable network segment comprising: receiving at a two-way query processora query from a cable service technician (“CST”) client via a local areanetwork, wherein the two-way query processor and the CST client areremote from the customer's premises, wherein the query comprises asubscriber account number, and wherein the local area network isdistinct from the HFC cable network; in response to the receipt of thesubscriber account number, executing validation instructions at thetwo-way query processor to obtain a response indicative of a two-wayoperational status of each of two or more CPE units associated with thesubscriber account number and connected to the HFC cable network andlocated at a common location; and receiving at the two-way queryprocessor the responses from each of the two or more CPE units; sendingthe responses to a result analyzer, wherein the result analyzer isremote from the subscriber's premises; determining at the resultanalyzer that a fault is present in network facilities other than thetwo or more CPE units when the responses from the two or more CPE unitsare not indicative of two-way operational capability; determining at theresult analyzer that a fault is present in at least one of the two ormore CPE units when at least one of the responses from the two or moreCPE units are indicative of two-way operational capability and one ormore responses from the two or more CPE units are not indicative oftwo-way operational capability; and communicating a fault determinationto the CST client via the local area network for display.
 11. The methodof claim 10, wherein a CPE unit is selected from the group consisting ofa set top box, a cable modem, a media terminal adapter, and a digitalvideo recorder.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the validationinstructions comprise instructions for issuing a PING command to a CPEunit.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein a response indicative oftwo-way operational capability of a CPE comprises a reply to the PINGcommand.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein a response not indicativeof two-way operational capability of a CPE comprises a receipt of atimeout of the PING command.
 15. The method of claim 10 furthercomprising for each of the two or more CPE units: obtaining a MACaddress; assigning the CPE unit a first two-way status value when theresponse from the CPE unit is indicative of two-way operationalcapability; assigning the CPE unit a second two-way status value whenthe response from the CPE unit is not indicative of two-way operationalcapability; assigning a first graphical attribute to the MAC address ofthe CPE unit when the response from the CPE unit is indicative oftwo-way operational capability; and assigning a second graphicalattribute to the MAC address of the CPE unit when the response from theCPE unit is not indicative of two-way continuity operational capabilityof the CPE; creating a two-way response record comprising the MACaddress, a two-way status value selected from the group consisting ofthe first two-way status value and the second two-way status value, anda graphical attribute selected from the group consisting of the firstgraphical attribute and the second graphical attribute to a displayserver; and displaying the two-way response record on the CST.
 16. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises: creating adiagnostic record from CPE diagnostic data; and sending the diagnosticrecord to the CST client for display.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein CPE diagnostic data is selected from the MAC address of the CPEunit, a transmit signal level, a receive signal level, and uptime data.18. The method of claim 16, wherein the CPE diagnostic data comprisesthe MAC address of the CPE unit, wherein the MAC address of the CPE unitcomprises a MAC link associating the MAC address of the CPE unit to thediagnostic record, and wherein the method further comprises accessingthe diagnostic record from the CST client via the MAC link.